Varniai (Vorne in Yiddish) lies in the western part of Lithuania, in the Zamut
(Žemaitija) region, on the west bank of the small stream Varnele, about 30
km. (18 miles) south of the district administrative center, Telz (Telšiai).
The large Lake Lūkstas is situated to the south of the town while
there are two other small lakes on the north side.

Vorne youngsters rowing in Lake Lūkstas

The settlement dates back to the sixteenth century. At that time, a settlement
called Medininkai, on the east bank of the stream, included the residence of
the Bishop of Zamut. Later this settlement was renamed Varniai. In 1635, the
town was granted the Magdeburg rights of self-rule. The emblem of the town is
highlighted by a Latin inscription: Sigillium Civitatis Vornensis Ducatus
Samogit (Vorne is subordinate to the Bishop of Zamut).

In 1740 a school of higher education for priests was moved to Vorne. The town
fairs brought 20,000 visitors, with many from Vilna and Riga. The Northern Wars
with Sweden, the rebellions against the Russian rule, and the fires and
epidemics wrought havoc on the people of Vorne. In 1863, as a result of the
Polish rebellion, the residence of the bishop and the school for the priests
were both moved from Vorne. Nevertheless, with the construction of barracks for
the local Russian garrison, the town developed economically and culturally. The
number of the residents increased, and the number of professionals and artisans
among them increased as well; thus at the end of the nineteenth century about
60 shops and taverns and some 30 light industry workshops were in operation in
the town.

Throughout Russian rule (1795-1915), German military rule (1915-1918) and that
of independent Lithuania (1918-1940), Vorne was a county administrative center
of the Telz district. At the outskirts of the town the Lithuanian government
established a detention camp for about 150 political prisoners, mostly with
communist leanings. There were quite a few Jews among these prisoners.

The Jewish Settlement until after World War I

The first Jews probably settled in Vorne in the second half of the seventeenth
century. The bishop granted rights to a few Jews to run taverns, sell liquor
and collect taxes during the fairs. Later, peddlers, merchants and artisans
arrived in town. Jews, provided the majority of tradesmen, including tailors.

Jewish homes in an alleyway

Their workshops were small and run by families.

The tradesmen of the time numbered twenty-two tailors, ten carters, sixteen
shoemakers, six blacksmiths, three carpenters, three hatters, two builders, one
book binder, one painter and one mould-maker. There were also well known timber
tradesmen: one of these, Aharon Raskin, was a very prominent member of the
community. The timber was loaded on to rafts and sent to Memel (Klaipeda) en
route to Germany. The local flourmill was owned by Rafael Zax. Liquor
distillation plants were also run by Jews. Several families kept stores, and
they would travel to the large regional town of Shavl (Šiauliai) to stock
up on goods.

As the population grew, a cemetery and prayer houses were built  the
Kloiz and the Shtiblekh on two of the sides of the Shul, a
building with a high dome for prayers in the summer.

One of the prayer houses in Vorne

Later, welfare associations were established. Linath HaTsedek, Bikur
Holim, Gemiluth Hesed, Hakhnasath Kalah and Hakhnasath
Orkhim were among these. Social assistance was mostly provided by generous
women with initiative. One such was Ida-Pesia, the wife of Aharon Raskin the timber
merchant. He was also the Gabai of the local Yeshivah with its 60
students. This Yeshivah was established and directed by Nahum-Lipa
Hananyah, and it existed for 35 years until his death in 1910. Many of the young
people in the town studied in the Telz Yeshivah and in other Yeshivoth in
the area. Quite a few acquired a general education as well.

In 1874, a blood libel was initiated by a local priest who gave money to a
Christian boy to disappear from the town. Then he announced that the Jews had
murdered the boy for his blood. The priest, together with a group of peasants
armed with knifes and sticks, went out in the streets and attacked every Jew
they met. A few were injured and taken to hospital. The uproar stopped when the
boy returned home.

In 1847, 1,084 Jews lived in the town. Half a century later, according to the
government census of 1897, there were 3,121 residents in Varniai, including
1,226 (39%) Jews.

Jewish agrarians were Motl Sheifer, the owner of a water-powered flourmill;
David Karklaner; Hirsh Krengl; Velve Shnaider; Mosheh the Yanepoler
and Shelomoh Katz the Vidmanter. They lived in the villages around
Vorne.

Jewish children aged three years and older studied at the traditional Heder. A
more modern school, called Heder Metukan (improved Heder) was opened several
years before World War I. Most of the students came from the more affluent
families. One of them, Ya'akov-David Kamzon, became famous as a writer and poet
in Eretz-Yisrael. In addition to religious subjects, the school taught Hebrew
grammar, mathematics and other secular subjects. There was considerable
objection to this method of learning from the more conservative circles in
town. As a result, the initiator and director of this institution, Yeshayah Ben
Zion Fridman was questioned. He was known as a strictly religious and educated
man who combined intellectuality with Zionism. Loyal to his views, he changed
his surname to the Hebrew Ish-Shalom (Man of Peace). Years later, one of his
sons, Mordehai Ish-Shalom, became the mayor of Jerusalem.

The Hibath Zion movement was very active in Vorne. In 1898, it had 100 members.
The list of donors to the settlement of Eretz-Yisrael published in HaMelitz in
1898, 1899, 1900 and 1903 contained 127 names of Vorne Jews (see Appendix 1).
The fund-raisers were as follows: in 1898, Hayim Gutman, Zalkind Likht; in
1899, Hayim Levin; in 1903, Hayim Leshem.

The cemetery on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem has at least five headstones
of Vorne Jews:

Rabbi Simhah son of Eliyahu, died 1865
Rivkah-Leah daughter of Yehezkel-Pinhas, died 1867
Peshe daughter of Yehudah, died 1869
Dusha wife of Faivel, died 1869
Yehezkel-Pinhas son of Mordehai, died 1871

With the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Germans bombed Vorne. Most
of the Jews ran for shelter, but several days later, after the German army
occupied the town, they returned home. Throughout that war, Vorne residents
were under strict German rule and, among other orders, endured the forced labor
imposed on many of them. However, Jews gained permanent representation in
public affairs on behalf of the community, which had established a good rapport
with the local German commander. Nevertheless, a local group of Jewish youths
still found it necessary to find secure hiding places for the forced laborers,
and helped many to escape.

A local Rabbi reported to German authorities in 1918 that seven Jews died in
the first quarter of that year: five women, one man and one child.

After World War I, there was still no peace for Vorne and the surrounding
areas. Sporadic fights among the Lithuanians and other nations continued and
the Jews feared that the unrest would result in pogroms. To be ready for this
potential evil, a self-defense group of Jewish youths armed themselves with
pistols. They were trained by German deserters hired by the community. These
Germans together with the Jewish youngsters stood guard over the community
until stability was restored to the region.

The Rabbis who served in Vorne during this period were:

Shemuel Shmelke Itinga (died in 1902)
Benjamin Verber (also died in 1902)
Josef-Leib Blokh, (1849-1930) served in Vorne between the years 1902-1904 and
later became the director of Telz Yeshivah
Shalom-Yits'hak Levitan (1878-1941) served in Vorne 1908-1909, published
several books on Judaism. He was murdered in the Holocaust
Yisrael Yehoshua Segal, son of Shemuel-Aryeh, born in 1864 (in Vorne from 1898).

Between 1839-1934, there were 21 subscribers to rabbinic literature in Vorne.

The Period of Independent Lithuania (1918-1940)

With the establishment of the independent Lithuanian State in 1918, most Vorne
Jews were old town residents who had lived there before World War I. They
continued to make their living in the trades, small commerce and crafts.

Following the Law of Autonomies for Minorities issued by the new Lithuanian
government, the minister of Jewish affairs, Dr. Menachem (Max) Soloveitshik
ordered elections to community committees (Va'adei Kehilah) to be held in the
summer of 1919. In July 1920 the elections to the community committee of Vorne
were held and nine members were elected: three General Zionists, three non-party
men, two tradesmen and one affiliated to the Mizrahi party. The
committee served in most fields of Jewish life until the law was annulled in
the spring of 1926. Jewish representatives were elected to the municipal
council of Vorne.

The survey conducted by the community committee in 1920 revealed that there
were approximately 800 Jewish residents in town, 54% of them women. Those under
18 years of age comprised 43% of the population, the age group of 19 to 50 was
37% and those between the ages of 51 and 85 the balance (20%). 70% of the Jews
were born in Vorne. Among the 132 gainfully employed persons, 34 were
shopkeepers, 22 were small traders and peddlers, 14 were shoemakers, eight
tailors, eight bakers, eight butchers, four carters and drivers, four melamdim
(teachers), three hat-makers, three pharmacists, three tinsmiths, two builders,
two carpenters, two cantors, one doctor, one watchmaker, one porter, one Klizemer
(musician at Jewish weddings), one bath attendant, one tanning worker, one hostel owner
and one dental assistant.

The Government survey of 1931 listed 23 shops in Vorne, 21 (91%) Jewish owned.
The distribution according to the type of business is presented in the table
below:

Type of business

Total

Owned by Jews

Groceries

4

3

Butcher shops and Cattle Trade

4

3

Restaurants and Taverns

1

1

Food Products

1

1

Textile Products and Furs

5

5

Leather and Shoes

2

2

Haberdashery and house utensils

1

1

Watches, Jewels and Optics

1

1

Hardware Products

2

2

Bicycles, electrical equipment, sewing machines

1

1

Transportation, Machines

1

1

Also listed in the same survey, were three barbershops, a power station, a
workshop for wool combing and a flour mill, all owned by Jews of Vorne.

With the decrease in Vorne's Jewish population, Jewish trade decreased
proportionately. In 1937, only 40 tradesmen remained in the town: ten
shoemakers, six tailors, four carpenters, three butchers, three watchmakers,
three tinsmiths, two hat-makers, two oven builders, two blacksmiths, one
binder, one barber and three others.

In 1939, of the 24 telephone lines in Vorne, four were in Jewish homes.

In the 1920s, a Hebrew school with Tarbuth affiliation, a library, a drama
group and the Folksbank (Popular Bank) were established in Vorne. The
Folksbank had 107 members in 1927, and by 1929 the number had decreased
to 92. Although the bank provided great assistance, the condition of the Jewish
shopkeepers and tradesmen deteriorated from year to year. The systematic
anti-Semitic propaganda of various Lithuanian associations contributed to these
difficulties.

The Market Square in Vorne

There were verbal and physical attacks against the Jews and their language on
numerous occasions. On October 9th, 1923 all Jewish signs in the
town were smeared with tar. October 15th, 1935 saw a blood libel
initiated against the Jews. As a result, two were injured and thirty-nine windows
in Jewish homes were broken. On November 11th, 1936 one Jew
was murdered and thirty-three sustained injuries at the hands of Lithuanian
neighbors and peasants at the town fair.

These events and the worsening economic situation resulted in many Vorne Jews
emigrating to South Africa, South America and Australia. Some chose Eretz-Yisrael:
these were the youngsters of the Zionist camp. One such Zionist was Mordecai Ish-Shalom
(the son of the founder of Heder Metukan): he organized the Hehalutz branch
in Vorne. He was one of the first stonecutters in Eretz-Yisrael and later became the
mayor of Jerusalem.

Several young Jewish people joined the Communist party: a few of these were
arrested for their subversive activities and were imprisoned in the detention
camp outside the town.

Going to the synagogue

Besides the HeHalutz branch, there were also many other Zionist youth
organizations, including HaShomer HaTsair. Zionist and sports activities were
also organized by the local Maccabi branch. Almost all the Zionist parties had
supporters. In the table below we can see how Vorne Zionists voted during five
Zionist congresses:

CongressNo.

Year

TotalShkalim

Total Votes

Labor Party

ZS

ZZ

Revisionists

General Zionists

A

B

Grosmanists

Mizrakhi

15

1927

38

29

5

10

1

6





7

16

1929

45

27

2

3



12





7

17

1931

62

49

7

13

7

9





13

18

1933



77

59

4

9





5

19

1935



249

127



58





64

Rabbis who served during this period in Vorne included:

Ya'akov son of Zevulun Abramovitz (1880-1937), from 1925-1937,
Aba Shur (1909-1941), the last rabbi of Vorne, who was murdered in the
Holocaust.

Among the personages born in Vorne were:

Boris-Zalman-Dov Shatz (1866-1932) emigrated to Eretz-Yisrael in 1906. He was
an artist  a painter and a sculptor  and founded the Betsalel
School of Arts in Jerusalem. He died in Colorado, in the USA.
Mosheh Dov Magid, born in 1901: from 1934 he lived in Eretz- Yisrael and was a
member of the Mizrahi center and of the Municipal Council of Tel Aviv.
Zalman-Pinhas Nathans (1893- ?), arrived in America as a young man, graduated
at New York University and was a teacher of mathematics and physics in New York
high schools. He published "Nathan's Popular Explanation of Einstein's Theory
of Relativity" (NY, 1931) in Yiddish. In the 1930s he lived in New Rochelle,
New York.
Ya'akov-David Kamzon (1900-1980), lived in Jerusalem from 1926. A writer and
poet in Yiddish and Hebrew, he published his book Jerusalem and many children's
books; in 1959 published the book Yahaduth Lita with many photos of Jewish
communities in Lithuania (Publisher Mosad HaRav Kook, Jerusalem).

During World War II

In June 1940, Lithuania was annexed to the Soviet Union and became a Soviet
Republic. Significant changes in social, economic, cultural and educational
life affected the Vorne Jews. Following the new rules, the larger shops and
enterprises were nationalized. All the Zionist parties and youth organizations
were disbanded and the Hebrew educational institutions were closed. The supply
of goods decreased and, as a result, prices soared. The middle class, mostly
Jewish, bore the brunt and the standard of living dropped gradually.

On June 25th, 1941, three days after the outbreak of war between the Soviet
Union and Germany, the German army entered Vorne. Before the soldiers of the
Red Army in Vorne retreated, they set the arms warehouses on fire. As a result
the synagogue and most of the homes in town burned down. Some of the Jews found
temporary quarters in Jewish homes in neighboring towns. When they returned,
they found the town destroyed by fire and under the rule of local nationalist
Lithuanians, who were conducting a witch-hunt against Soviet activists. In
particular, they focused their evil intentions on their former Jewish neighbors
and abused and eventually murdered those whom they suspected of pro-Soviet
activity. Among the first victims was a veteran teacher, Tsevi Leibovitz. The
remaining Jews were forced into hard labor, cleaning debris, sweeping the
streets and more.

At the beginning of July, all Jews were ordered to go to the village of
Viesvenai, about 25 km. (15 miles) from Vorne. The adults walked, the aged and
the children rode in carts. In Viesvenai, the Vorne Jews together with others
from surrounding areas were herded into barns, stables and cowsheds. They were
supervised by armed Lithuanians. After several days of maltreatment, on July 16th,
1941, the men were shot and buried in a mass grave. The women and
children were sent to Geruliai village near Telz. There, they were murdered on
August 30th (7th of Elul, 5701). On December 24th,
1941 (4th of Teveth, 5702) several girls who had been temporarily employed
by farmers of the area and in Telz, were put to death.

The above article is an excerpt from Preserving Our Litvak Heritage
by Josef Rosin. The book contains this article along with many others, plus an
extensive description of the Litvak Jewish community in Lithuania that provides
an excellent context to understand the above article. Click here to see where
to obtain the book.

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